Running trails in Lawrence, KS
Lawrence has 18 trails in the directory — 3 paved and 6 on crushed gravel or dirt, 4 loops that return to the trailhead, 3 with a stated distance, 1 shaded, and 3 open 24 hours. 17 of them post opening hours, so you can check the gate before an early start. They're ranked here by rating weighted by review volume, across 4,233 Google reviews. Filter by surface, loop, distance, shade or lighting to get to the run you're actually planning — no made-up difficulty score, just the facts you'd check before driving out.
Clinton State Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 1,618 reviews
Playgrounds, disc golf, boating, swimming & camping plus native flora, fauna & nature trails.
Prairie Park Nature Center
4.7 ★★★★★ 610 reviews
100-acres of wetlands, woodlands, prairie habitats & a lake, plus a nature center with live birds.
Burcham Park
4.4 ★★★★☆ 349 reviews
City park with a playground, trail & view of the Kansas River plus a preserved cottonwood forest.
Riverfront Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 334 reviews
Clean park featuring disc golf and river views, plus trails for hiking and biking.
Lawrence River Trails
4.8 ★★★★★ 304 reviews
Popular cycling and hiking spot, with river views (and boat ramps).
Baker University Wetlands
4.8 ★★★★★ 247 reviews
Spacious wetlands covering 927 acres, popular for bird & wildlife viewing, hikes & other recreation.
Lawrence Nature Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 157 reviews
Secluded conservation area featuring unpaved woodland walking trails & native wildlife.
Burroughs Creek Park
4.4 ★★★★☆ 110 reviews
Clean park featuring a kids' playground, a splash pad and a trail.
Hawk Trail Race
4.7 ★★★★★ 93 reviews
Serene park with an extensive trail system, hosting races and outdoor activities.
Pat Dawson Billings Nature Area
4.6 ★★★★★ 91 reviews
42 acres of floodplain area offering several fishing ponds for public use & tall native grasses.
Naismith Valley Park
4.4 ★★★★☆ 89 reviews
25-acre park consisting of prairie grassland & trees that are home to many types of birds.
Sanders Mound Trail
4.7 ★★★★★ 71 reviews
Many trails to explore this natural area by foot or bike.
Lawrence Riverfront Park MB Trail
4.8 ★★★★★ 60 reviews
Park with trails for walking and biking.
Roth Trailhead
4.3 ★★★★☆ 49 reviews
Public hiking area providing kid-friendly trails, birding opportunities, and a restroom.
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Lawrence
- Match the surface to your legs. Lawrence gives you a choice: 4 natural surface, 3 paved, 2 crushed gravel, and 2 mixed. Asphalt and concrete are fast, predictable and runnable year-round but the least forgiving; crushed limestone and dirt take the sting out of high mileage; boardwalk is flat and scenic but slick in the wet. If your shins or knees are complaining, the fix that actually works is varying the surface you run on rather than chasing one "best" one. More natural surface trails →
- Loop or out-and-back? 4 trails here are loops, so you finish back at the car with no backtracking — the easiest way to run a set distance without thinking about it. On an out-and-back you turn round at half your target distance, which makes any trail fit any run. The longest stated distance in Lawrence is Baker University Wetlands at 11 mi. 2 trails are long enough for a 5-mile-plus run without repeating yourself.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 3 trails in Lawrence are open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 17 of the 18 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 14 have trailhead parking, 8 have restrooms, and 2 have a water fountain in Lawrence. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 1 shaded, 6 that runners describe as quiet, 7 dog-friendly, and 11 smooth and wide enough for a stroller or a wheelchair. Busy or quiet isn't a good-or-bad thing here: a busy path is the safer choice for a solo run at dawn, a quiet one is better for intervals.
More on all of this in the trail-running guides.
Browse Lawrence trails by type
Running trails near Lawrence
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.